Historically, film editing was completed by hand, and editors would literally cut and splice video and audiotape to form the completed product. Now, digital tools are used to complete film products and several software products such as AVID are available for such purposes.
These products allow users to select video and audio “media elements” for insertion into a finished multi-media narrative. A media element is a segment of media that can be included in the multi-media narrative, for example a visual media element may include a single take or shot of an event, or a still photograph. An audio media element may be a single sound, or maybe a word, or a conversation or music track. Media elements may be made of other media elements as well. A film is an example of a selection of visual and audio media elements ordered by the film editor into a final multi-media narrative.
The software available in the art allows a user to access locally stored media, such as video and audio media elements, to manipulate these media elements (for example, by shortening them) and selecting the order in which the media elements will be represented. Sound media elements may be added to or used in place of the default sound (if any) associated with a visual media element. A “drag and drop” system may be employed to allow users to place media elements in the desired order into the finished multi-media narrative.
A common lacking in such products is the ability to use media elements that are not stored locally. Current solutions use media elements that arrive with the product, or allow users to download media from the Internet or another source for insertion into the multi-media narrative. This results in loss of control of the media elements, in that the audio and visual media elements are stored on the user's computer, allowing the user to access such files for other purposes. In these cases the provider of the media elements loses control of the media elements, and may find them spread over the Internet or otherwise used in an inappropriate manner.
What is needed is a solution that allows users to collect audio and visual media elements through an online experience and then assemble them into a multi-media narrative with an online media element collection and use system, preferably with a text-to-speech narration generator.